I Can See it From Afar - Daughters of Promise - September 23

These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Genesis 25:7-8

How many parents die before seeing their child become secure financially, or come to Christ and give Him their life, or emerge out of a dark period. I have personally seen people hang on, though near death, because they need closure with a member of the family. Can such unrest turn to rest even though answers to prayer are not yet realized? Oh, yes. It’s called faith.

Abraham lived 175 years yet he didn’t see the long-term promises of God fulfilled. The writer of Hebrews described it. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar. Hebrews 11:13 Abraham didn’t see all his descendants with his physical eyes but he did see it with spiritual eyes. He could die peacefully, in full assurance of what would come after him.

Most of us live in the in-between stages of life; in-between praying for something and seeing it fulfilled. While we wait, how will we wait? Is there deep frustration with a God who appears to be taking too long to answer or is there joyful expectancy in what God will do? The undercurrent of the first is unbelief. The latter is fueled by faith.

I remember talking to a retired missionary couple, mentors to me, about a wayward son who showed no sign of coming back to the Lord. They shed many tears in prayer, admittedly. But when I asked them about the joy that marked their life, even in the midst of their son’s detour from the kingdom, they hugged me and assured me. “We are joyfully confident of what God will do.” They both died before their son returned, but soon after they died, he did embrace Christ and has a thriving medical practice blessed by God. Both his parents saw his future with spiritual eyes.

God’s waiting room is the place where faith is either cultivated or destroyed. The enemy is very present there, attempting to tip the balance to unbelief and anger. How can faith win? How can I be sure of what is unseen? Believing in the character of God and the promises He’s made. Nothing and no one should be able to steal my confidence.

Some of your promises may be fulfilled outside my lifetime. If I’m not okay with that, show me what I’m missing so I can find peace. Amen

Journal Question: What is your greatest unanswered prayer? Are you despairing or joyfully confident? If not the latter, what is the block? Nail it down. Is it a character of God issue, a refusal to believe that His promises are for you, or something else? Ask God to show you.